Roland Minkowitsch Gruner Veltliner Weinviertel

Martin and Blandine Minkowitsch and their children run this admirably traditional estate in the village of Mannersdorf, in the Weinviertel region of Austria. They farm their vineyards organically, even though they don't have certification, and Martin uses a massive 200-year-old wooden basket press to crush all the fruit grown on his 11-hectare farm bordering Slovakia. Their wines are remarkable and rarely seen outside of Austria.

Their Gruner Veltliner is produced with 40+ year old vines and is crushed in that large wooden press, cool fermented in stainless steel, and aged in large oak foudres. The resulting wine is dazzling and quite concentrated and advanced in aroma and flavor. If you want to drink a white wine that Austrians love drinking, you've got to try this.